John 5:4

John 5:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.

Context of John 5:4

2There is a pool near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem. Its name in the Jewish language is Bethesda. Round the pool, there is a building with five places that have a roof over them. 3A large number of sick people were lying in these places. Some of them were blind. Some of them could not walk properly. Some of them could not move their legs or their arms. [ They were waiting for when the water started to move. An angel would go down into the pool at certain times and move the water about. When that happened, all the sick people tried to get into the pool. The first person who got into the water became well, whatever his illness was.] 5One man who was lying there had been ill for 38 years. 6Jesus saw this man. He knew that the man had been ill like this for a very long time. So he asked the man, ‘Do you want to get well?’

John 5:4 word by word

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• an angelἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
• went downκαταβαίνωkatabainō · to come/go downG2597
• at a certainκατάkata · according toG2596
• seasonκαιρόςkairos · time/right timeG2540
• intoἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the poolὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the poolκολυμβήθραkolumbēthra · poolG2861
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• troubledταράσσωtarassō · to troubleG5015
• the waterὕδωρhudōr hudatos · waterG5204
• thenοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• firstπρῶτοςprōtos · firstG4413
• afterμετάmeta · with/afterG3326
• the troublingταραχήtarachē · disturbanceG5016
• stepped inἐμβαίνωembainō · to climbG1684
• was madeγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• wholeὑγιήςhugiēs · healthyG5199
• ofνόσημαnosēma · diseaseG3553
• ·ὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• whatsoeverδήποτεdēpote · whateverG1221
• he hadκατέχωkatechō · to hold back/fastG2722

Cross-references for John 5:4

• Psalms 119:60I will be quick to obey your commands. I will not be slow to do that.
• Proverbs 6:4Do not let yourself sleep or even stop to rest until you have met with him.
• Proverbs 8:17I love those people who love me. Whoever looks for me will find me.
• Ecclesiastes 9:10Use all your strength to do the work that you are doing. One day you will die and you will go into your grave. Then you will not have any work, or ideas, or knowledge or wisdom. So do your work well while you are alive.
• Hosea 13:13They will be in pain like a woman who is giving birth. Her child is foolish. He refuses to be born!
• Matthew 6:33Instead, always think about the things that are important in the kingdom of heaven. Always do what God shows you is right. Then he will also give you the things that you need each day.
• Matthew 11:12From the time that John the Baptist began to teach until now, the kingdom of heaven is becoming very strong. Strong people are trying very much to attack it.
• Luke 13:24Jesus said to the people there, ‘Do your best to go in through the narrow door. I tell you that many people will want to get in there. But they will not be able to go through it.
• Luke 16:16Jesus then said, ‘The books of God's Law and God's prophets spoke God's message until John the Baptist came. Since then, God's servants tell people the good news about the kingdom of God. Everyone is now trying very much to get into that kingdom.
• 2 Kings 5:10Elisha sent his servant with a message to Naaman. He said, ‘Go to the Jordan River. Wash yourself seven times in the river. Then your skin will be clean again. You will not have the disease.’
• Ezekiel 47:8He said to me, ‘This river of water goes towards the land in the east. It goes into the valley of the Jordan River. Then the water goes into the Salt Sea. When it goes into the sea there, the water becomes pure instead of salty.
• Zechariah 13:1‘On that day, water will start to pour from a fountain for King David's descendants and Jerusalem's people. It will make them clean from their sins and the dirty things that they have done.’
• Zechariah 14:8On that day, water will come out from Jerusalem. Half of this water will go towards the sea in the east. Half of this water will go towards the sea in the west. This will go on during summer and winter.
• 1 Corinthians 6:11At one time, some of you were people like that. But God has now made you clean and pure, so that you belong to him. You have become right with God. Our God has done this with the power of his Spirit because you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 1 John 1:7But when we live in a right way, it is like living in the light. God is always in the light. So, if we live in the light, we share together in the life which God gives. And when Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross, he saved us from all our sins. The blood of his sacrifice makes us clean.

Commentaries on John 5:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Angel - "Of the Lord," is added by AKL, about 20 others, the Ethiopic, Armenian, Slavonic, Vulgate, Anglo-Saxon, and six copies of the Itala: Cyril and Ambrose have also this reading. If this reading be genuine, and the authorities which support it are both ancient and respectable, it destroys Dr. Hammond's conjecture, that, by the angel, a messenger only, sent from the Sanhedrin, is meant, and that these cures were all performed in a natural way. Those…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4An angel - It is not affirmed that the angel did this “visibly,” or that they saw him do it. They judged by the “effect,” and when they saw the waters agitated, they concluded that they had healing properties, and descended to them. The Jews were in the habit of attributing all favors to the ministry of the angels of God, Genesis 19:15; Hebrews 1:14; Matthew 4:11; Matthew 18:10; Luke 16:22; Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19; Acts 12:11. This fountain, it seems…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-40This chapter is structured like a courtroom case (a legal trial). It begins with a description of the event that led to the conflict (5:1–15). This is followed by the decision of the Jewish leaders to take action against Jesus (5:16). Next comes a statement of the charges against him (5:18). The chapter then presents the defense given by Jesus, where he explains his authority and his relationship with the Father (5:17, 19–40).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. an angel, &c.--This miracle differed in two points from all other miracles recorded in Scripture: (1) It was not one, but a succession of miracles periodically wrought: (2) As it was only wrought "when the waters were troubled," so only upon one patient at a time, and that the patient "who first stepped in after the troubling of the waters." But this only the more undeniably fixed its miraculous character. We have heard of many waters having a…Read the comment

Topics related to John 5:4

• Angel (a Spirit)
• Jesus, the Christ
• Miracles

In the dictionaries

• Folk
• Judgment
• Lest
• Light
• Pool
• Step
• Trouble
• Troubling
• Witness
• Angel

Commentaries on John 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings